Editorial: Cuomo has duty to weigh pardons

Careful clemency can right injustice

8:01 PM,
Dec. 30, 2013

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Written by

| A Journal News editorial

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has played it safe on gubernatorial pardons and commutations: He's issued, zero, zilch, none during his tenure, even though the governor's office has received hundreds of requests.

By avoiding any use of clemency powers, a politician could skip the "soft on crime" label that easily sticks to Democrats, especially for those, like Cuomo, who have championed socially liberal agendas and/or who may have ambitions to seek higher office. Those hardly make for good motivators not to act. Clemency is an important part of a justice system that can sometimes fall short of its own ...